Container boat

reinforced eyelets and pins with a strap and a rod going down through the pins

 

That would make the boat into at least three independent compartments

 

the inflatable parts could be folded and stored in the center section for more than 40 feet

 

Moving beyond the obvious questions, like "why"? Or "who would want to own a boat that looks like a container"?, there are issues like the rough treatment that containers receive... dropped by cranes, rammed by forklifts...
The whole point of a container is to provide a sturdy box to protect the things that are being transported inside it....
I mean, is there a point to this.?.. beyond looking at a box and thinking "hmmm... I might make a boat out of that..."

oops - looks like I couldn't look beyond the the "why" question....sorry

 

My issue is with the bottom of the boat/container.

They're square. They have to be for shipping. You're talking about putting bows and sterns on, but what about the underwater profile? How do you reconcile that?

 

I've been contemplating a catamaran, say about 100'. Use two 40’ containers for each ama. Then use two or three 40’ containers for cross-members. These dimensions lead to a beam to length ratio of 1:10 or less which is reasonable for a catamaran.

I’m considering adding a hull to the bottom which is about 6’ wide with 2’ deep to provide some shape to the ama’s. This should leave strakes near the waterline, which are the bottom of the container. Bow and stern would also be added to provide more conventional shapes.

~ Michael

 

think outside the horizontal, have the keel be one EDGE of the

container shaped unit.

Remember at least one "container boat" was craftly designed to fit into the container tipped approx. 45% , and was thus able to have a beam wider than 8', as well as a Top-to-Bottom measurement also more than 8'.

 

i can't get my head around this container boat, what is the actual reason to do it.

 

I've never seen a smooth sided container, have you? I would suspect the shipper wouldn't be willing to "hook up" to a container that didn't look like one. Naturally the lifting and lock points would all be there, but they'd probably have issues until you presented the paper work saying they conformed to every possible regulation. Lastly, it wouldn't have smooth sides for long, given how they are treated. She'd be an oil canned, dented up beast in no time, if any real shipping was involved.

In the end, I think the idea is interesting, but as is often the case with things that try to be something more then they are (flying cars, amphibious cars, etc.) you have to drag around a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with being a boat, just to be a container boat. Maybe you could unbolt these things afterward and toss them in storage until the next need as deck cargo. This does mitigate some of the non-boat stuff. Lastly is the shape and what to do about a hunk of boat the shape of a container. You can dress it up, but you're not going to want to take it to the prom.

 

I am tossing ideas around. It was not supposed to be a performance boat, but maybe more like a houseboat. It is not going to look more boxy than a barge. As for the smooth sides, as long as it is certified as a container, there should not be a problem. That is something to look into, what does it take to get it certified.

 

I've seen "smooth sided containers", looks like they welded

some sheet metal over the existing container to make their painted sign look right.

Metal boats need a layer of insulation anyways, although I'd say an even layer is the only thing that makes sense.

 

I agree, a smooth skin is enough. The reinforcement ribs stay the same

 

I was considering a boat that would fold up and fit into the dimensions of my Toyota with camper top. My gallery shows what I finally settled on. I had considered a folding ala catamaran with the folding alas like the ones Fanie is building, but chose to keep it simple.

 

I thought you were thinking of a way to deliver individual containers off cargo ships to customers by water. Which I still think has a vast potential


If all your looking for is a folding boat; check out a Farrier Corsair. I have sailed one on a lake in New Hampster a few years ago and it is a very nice little trailer boat. Very easy to handle.

 

I'm familiar with those, but they would be expensive to ship in comparison to a container. They are great boats.